On April 24th, yours truly and his truly decided to attend the various events throughout Los Angeles and document them for people all over the world, as well as those who were simply not able to attend for reasons of work, school, or other such excuses.
Montebello Genocide Memorial
All Pictures of MemorialOfficially known as "Armenian Martyr's Monument," the memorial is located in Montebello's Bicknell Public Park, just minutes from Downtown Los Angeles. The structure was dedicated on April 24, 1965, and has since served as a place of gathering and mourning for Armenians across Southern California.
We arrived there around noon. First thing we noticed was the heavy security and lack of parking: we had to park in a field. Hundreds of parked cars dotted the makeshift lot, many with flags, banners, and other patriotic attachments. The process of entering and subsequently leaving the park was directed by a few individuals and was pretty efficient.
As we walked up the steep hill towards the glowing monument, we noticed groups of people talking amongst themselves with sadness on their eyes. It seems that the attendees were divided into two groups: young people and old people. Since the 24th fell on a Tuesday, thousands of Armenians decided to work rather than lose out, leaving only the retired and the schoolchildren to attend. Besides the schoolchildren, there were many 20-somethings and teenagers to be found. Many of the people there belonged to church groups, charities, scouts, and other such organizations, and they expressed that through clothing, flags, and so on.
As we made our way behind the line leading into the monument, we realized that we had forgotten to bring flowers to place there. Thankfully, we noticed a man and his son handing them out to those who wanted one and our problems were resolved. The sun was really baking everyone there and combined with the tears of the elderly, the playful sounds of the children running about, the flags flapping around in the little bit of wind, and the sad Armenian music emanating from the speakers, the whole experience was rather surreal.
I noticed that here were many, many kids there, which is encouraging to see. Armenians, especially those born here who have not experienced the air and water of Armenia, have only so much to identify with and hold on to as their own. April 24th is perhaps only day that draws everyone together in such a manner and gives meaning to our cause, even though we are separated by half a world from our homeland.
After placing flowers, absorbing the atmosphere, and taking a few pictures, we decide to move on.
Little Armenia March
You know you're in the Little Armenia section of Hollywood when you see Armenians everywhere you look. And especially for this occasion, you see Armenians with patriotic clothing and flags, not to mention cars that have been transformed into rolling tricolors!
Unfortunately, we were too late for the protest there. Apparently, it had started around 10 A.M. and ended a few hours after. We asked around if there were other events planned elsewhere, but we were told that all of them had taken place in the morning. What to do?
Armenian Cars
All Pictures of CarsWell, we drove around Little Armenia and took many pictures of Yeraguin cars. There were so many of them that we didn't know where to point the camera. Most were snapped by my partner in crime Ashxen. Sidenote: if you haven't yet realized, these are pseudonyms. Sneaky, eh?
After ten minutes of driving around, we knew where we had to go. Despite people telling us there would be no further events, we pointed the car towards 6300 Wilshire Boulevard, known otherwise as the Turkish Embassy.
Turkish Embassy Protest
All Pictures from the ProtestThe Turkish Embassy, which is housed in a suite inside of a large office building, was surprisingly close to Little Armenia. Disappointingly, there were a grand total of five other people and one very large dog in front of the building when we arrived. Was this all we could muster up? Not very protest-like, I protested.
We spoke with a few other people there. Some said it was scheduled for 2:30 P.M., some said 4 P.M., and some said 6 P.M. Clearly, this event was not organized very well, and this was just the beginning.
Slowly thereafter, a dozen policemen arrived on bikes, started circling about, and ordered everyone to move their cars to the other side of the street. Make no mistake: these guys are armed with guns and the few that we talked to had nasty attitudes. Slowly, more confused protesters joined us in front of the building.
It was at this point that I decided to enter the building. I made my way through the doors but was stopped by security. I explained to them that I wanted to speak with the Turkish Consul regarding business and travel to the country. Of course, I knew there would be no chance that they would come out on this day and was refused entry. We walked out with the security guard and I took the moment to explain to him the history behind the struggle, as he lacked any understanding beyond "Armenian Genocide." I tried educating a few other policemen and strangers throughout the day, as well. As soon as we exited the building, the glass doors were locked and all employees trying to re-enter were told to go around the back. Hah!
Eventually the organizers arrived and brought with them signs and lots of water, as well as speakers and busloads of immature people. Kudos to them for bringing water, but the signs were poorly made. Sure, I may seem like an ingrate, but not only were most of the signs illegible from two feet away due to thin scribbles, but the handles were full of splinters: by the time all was said and done, I had one splinter in one of my fingers and one in the palm of my hand, the latter of which was barely saved from infection. I can't blame anyone for this second fact - well, I can, but won't - but the winds made it near impossible to hold the signs and many protesters, myself included, found the signs flying out of their hands and hitting people and cars. The solution? Make a few holes in them!
Anyway, the protesting eventually began. Thirty minutes into it, the entire one-side of Wilshire Boulevard, which is a very large and important street, was closed down to traffic. Protesters marhced in large ovals chanting various things, such as, "Turkey Run! Turkey Hide! Turkey's Guilty of Genocide!" and "Paikar, Paikar, Minchev Verch!" At its peak, about 2,000 men, women, and children were on the streets! We marched and marched and marched, but no one was giving a speech! Why not?
We spoke to ABC7 and they informed us that they were going to air the protest on their 4 or 5 o'clock news only. Guess when the speeches were scheduled for? 6 P.M.! Needless to say, the media coverage was very poor. Besides ABC7, an Italian TV channel, a news service company, and most likely some Armenian coverage - and I am unsure of this last one - there was no one else there.
Time for the speech. Total duration: 15 minutes, give or take! Ridiculous! The speaker(s) were really, really angry, but the content was lacking and unorganized, not to mention they were delivered by people you really can't bring yourself to listen to. Don't ask me why.
As soon as the speeches were over, everyone left very quickly. Towards the end many cars with flags and other things whooshed past the embassy, honking and shouting patriotic slogans. That's all great, except a few of them got tickets for driving poorly. The highlight was a group of Harley-Davidson motorcycles rushing down Wilshire Boulevard before the speeches, exciting the protesters more than all the other cars and trucks that day, including a few youngsters in a Rolls-Royce.
It was a very good protest, but it could have been a LOT better. I will do a separate post about this later.
My camera was a huge limitation, not to mention my skills as a photographer! Hopefully we'll get better pictures next year!
Link to EVERY Picture Taken on April 24th, 2007.
Videos of Protest
